Stock-guard.



W. 1. PRICE Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- W. 1. PRICE.

STOCK GUARD.

I APPLICA .l9l6- 1,241,763. v Patented Oct. 2,1917.

SSSSSSSS [ET 2.

WILLIAM J. PRICE, OF POTEAU, OKLAHOMA.

STOCK-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1917.

Application filed. November 16, 1916. v Serial No. 131,795.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. PRICE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Poteau, in the county of Le Flore and State of Oklahoma, have invented a new and useful Improved Stock-Guard, of which the following is a specificatlon.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in stock guards for railways,

and the primary object of the invention is to provide a simple and eflicient type of to its extreme simplicity may be appliedwithout the assistance of an expert, said application being so simple that it may be easily attached by the section crew.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient stock guard,

of this character which is operable by a step ,plate, that is connected with hingedly mounted guard slats, said step plate having a counter-balancing means associated therewith in the connection, whereby the minimum weightnecessary to depress the plate ay be varied. This adjustment enables the device to be used for heavy animals only or for light and heavy animals to operate the same.

A further object of this invention 1s to provide a stock guard of this character wlth means that will protect the same from be- ,iug torn up by anything dragging attached to a car or train, and also which protects the guard from damage by beams or timbers falling thereon.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a device of this character which is easily and simply constructed, inexpensive to manufacture, and one which will be very efficient in operation.

With these and numerous other objects in view, my inventionconsists of the novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be herein referred to and more particularly pointed out in the specification and claims.

I11 the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the stock guard;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a detail end view of a portion of the guard operating means.

In describing my invention, I shall refer to the drawings in which similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exterior features of my new and improved stock guard are best illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and the same includes a transversely extending step plate or treadle a, that is mounted beneath the rails of the railway track, one side edge of said plate being hingedly mounted as shown at a; to one of the ties. The hinges are positioned at the side of said ties, adjacent the upper edges'thereof, so that in normal position the plate a will be disposed horizontally, in alinement, or substantially a single plane with the top portions of the railway ties that support the rails.

The primary barrier that stops the stock, is formed of a plurality of longitudinally extending slats c which are hingedly mount ed at e on the tops of adjacent railway ties, said slats extending parallel with the rails, and positioned between said rails, centrally with 'respect'to the same is a rigid guard strip b, which is not hingedly mounted, and is normally positioned upright, to protect the slats 0 from falling timbers or the like.

All of the slats 0 are provided with beveled ends, as is the rigid center strip 2) for a urpose to be hereinafter more fully descri ed.

Adjacent th ends of the slats c are transversely extending guard strips (Z, having inclined upper faces, with their upper edge disposed adjacent the lower edge of the inclined ends of said slats. These strips d are positioned one on the inner edge of the step plate an adjacent the hinges thereof, and the other on the outer tie that supports the opposite ends of the slats. These upwardly inclined guard strips are adapted to lift timbers or the likethat are dragged by a passing car or train over the guard,and hence prevent damage to the same.

The operating means employed in this device includes a pair of rock shafts, that are rotatably mounted beneath the'slats and step plate a respectively. The rock shaft that is'mounted beneath the slatsc is designated by the letter K and is rotatably'monnt- 'free end of the plate a. This shaft 9 has an shown at s, upwardly extending link members 2'. A plurality of these connections are formed on the rock sh'aft, one being "disposed beneath' each ofthe slats 0, andth'eslats 0 are provided o n their under side' adjacent the free edges with projecting studs, that are adapted to be connected"with the link 'meinbers asshown atg. By this connection, owing to the fact that the slats '0 are normally disposed inalinemenjt, that is lying flush with the top p'ortions"of the railway ties, upon movement of the shaft K, the slats I 0 will be raised to form a barrier, to prevent the stock from moving thereov'er. I j

The rock shaft that disposed beneath the step plate a, and which is designated by t the letter 9 is rotatably mounted in laterally extending bearings that'pjroje'ct from one :sidefof the railway tie disposed'ad-jacent the upwardly projecting arm 0 extending therefrom, said arm 0 being preferably disposed centrally with respect to the same, and the said arm is connected with the arm' j of the 'form a barrier, which WiIl preVent further passage.

When the stock steps upon the'pla'te a,

thesarne-'is depressed, and the connection of said plate with the rock shaft Q will hence rook said shaft, whereupon owing to thefact that the shaft 9 is operati'velyconnected with jthe shaft 1C said fs'haft fwill be correspor'ldi'ngly rookedf-aii d as the shaft K is connected witheaeh oft'he slats, the arms it will be moved upwardly to raise said slats owing to the 'connectio'n of said arms,'wit-h each of the-slats, As soon asthe stock movestae'k from the 'plate a, it-is obvious that the'various parts of the devicewillreturn :to normal position, *an*d the "slats will once more resume their normal flat position on the top of" the ties.

The a djustableweight m on the free end of tlie arm n, permits the minimum'weight nec- 'essary to depress the platea' to be' 'varied.

This permits the stoclr'guards to be adjusted, so that when'desiredthe device will only o'p- "e'ratelwhen' cattle step u-po1rtheplate a or lupon E movement *of the counter balancing weight m the device may beoper"at"edby f" smaller animals, as we'll asthelarger ones. The rigid upwardly pro ecting center strips "6, and the coacting inclined guard strips d "at 'the' opposite ends ofthe slats 0, prevent" anyi'njiiryof 'thedevi'ce from falling timbers or draggilig'articles carried'by passing 1 "cars or trains.

I "iie ction'with the accompanyingdrawings, it" shaft K by a link member Z, ,saidllnk Z ha v' ingits inner end connected as shown at I I j understandii gofthe construction,operation 'S withthe free'endof the armo. Thisfc'onand advantages of m invention may be'had,

nection'fbetween the shafts y g and K' will be adapted to rock said shafts simultaneously. The step plated has secured to the outer free end thereofadja'cent its edge, a dependingportion'p' that has its; free end or extreniity disposed 'su'b'stantially in alinement with the shaft 9. The said portion p is con- "nected with the shaft g,"by horizontally extending 'arm' mthat extends through said ,jshaft, and has its free end projecting 'therefrom. 'Slidably mounted'on 'the'free end of f the shaft'n is' a counter-balancing wag-hem, ifora purpose to be hereinafter more fully described. v a

In operati0n,when the 'st'ock"gu'ard is 'i'pl'aoed on a 'railway' 'trackfithe step "plate a is disposed adjacent the road or lane, 'whi'ich the deviceisjb'est adapted to beoperativfely associated with, and it'is obvious that should the stockrattem'pt to pass from the roadway onto the right of-way, they will" step upon' the plate a' and hence raise the slats '0 to From the above description taken in canis 'thdti'ght that a clear and comprehensive and while Thave shown and described-the device 'as' embodying a specific structure; I "desire "that "it 'be understood that "such (c'liaiig'esmay'bemade inisaid structureasdO "not' deparfifroin the spirit andsoope of the invention as claimed.

'Having "fully "described m invention,

Letters Patent, is

In aeattle guard formnway tracks-the comblnatlon of a transversely arranged movable stepplate, a'plura'li'ty ofl'on'gitudinally extending hingedly mounted 'fguard"slats i normally lyingQflat, a connection "between "said slats andthepl'a'te adapted toraise said '-siateft on-depression of the ist and adjustable "eounter balaneing :means in said" connection whereby 'the minimum weight "necessary to depress the plate may bev'aried.

"combinatibn of a transversely arrangedmovable step plate, a plur ality' of" longitudinally extending hingedly mounted guard slats normally lying flat, a, pair of rock shafts mounted beneath said plate and slats respectively, a connecting link between said slats to move the same simultaneously, one shaft being operably connected with the plate, and a separate connection between each slat and the other shaft.

3. In a cattle guard for railway tracks the combination of a transversely arranged movable step plate, a plurality of longitudinally extending liingedly mounted guard slats normally lying flat, a pair of rock shafts mounted beneath said plate and slats respectively, upwardly and downwardly extending arms on the respective shafts, a link connecting said arms, a depending projection on the plate, a supplemental arm on the shaft beneath said plate connected with said projection, and means for connecting the other shaft and the slats to raise said slats upon -movement of the shaft.

4:- In a cattle guard for railway tracks the combination of a transversely arranged movable step plate, a plurality of longitudinally extending hingedly mounted guard slats normally lying flat, a pair of rock shafts mounted beneath said plate and slats respectively, upwardly and downwardly extending arms on said respective shafts, a link connecting said arms, a depending projection on the step plate, a supplemental arm extending transversely through the shaft beneath the step plate, said arm having one end connected with the depending projec tion, a counter-balancing weight adjustably mounted 011 the operatively projecting end of said arm, and means for connecting the other shaft and the slats to raise said slats upon movement of the said shaft.

5. In a cattle guard for railway tracks the combination of a transversely arranged movable step plate, a plurality of longitudinally extending hingedly mounted guard slats normally lying flat, a pair of rock shafts mounted beneath said plate and slats respectively, a connecting link between said shafts to move the same simultaneously, one shaft being operably connected with the plate, a plurality of laterally projecting arms on the other shaft, a projecting stud on the lower side of each slat, and a link connecting each stud with one of the laterally projecting arms on said last mentioned shaft.

6. In a cattle guard for railway tracks the combination of a transversely arranged movable step plate, a plurality of longitudinally extending hingedly mounted guard slats normally lying flat, said slats having beveled ends, a rigid center strip extending parallel with the slats and having its opposite ends beveled correspondingly, inclined guard members adjacent the ends of said strip, and a connection between the plate and slats adapted to raise said slats upon depression of the plate.

WILLIAM J. PRICE. IVitnesses:

J. A. McKELvEY, ELIZABETH FOLSOM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

